


exactly how you are

by sond_sie



Series: i've still got love for you [2]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Jealousy, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Polyamory, Smut, i decided to write more of this because i'm useless, jenna/josh is becoming my new fave pairing oops, parenting, tyler's an idiot again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 09:05:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15770961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sond_sie/pseuds/sond_sie
Summary: "it took them a while, but they got the hang of the whole parenting role, and their relationship evolved with it too. josh had become very secure in his place in their family, and his relationship with tyler especially.which is why he was surprised to find out that going to college would change everything."





	exactly how you are

**Author's Note:**

> so apparently i, too, decided to go on a year long hiatus. and what a better way to come back than with more of this filth. title comes from ball park music's song of the same name, which i incidentally came up with while watching them live. also, i recommend reading the first part of this series if you haven't :)

it’s silent inside. outside, rain patters on the windows of the home gently, lulling the occupants to sleep. they’re cuddled together closely under a warm blanket, snoring softly and finally receiving some of the sleep they so desperately need. there’s only one thing that could wake them up.

a piercing wail echoes through their apartment and grows louder, causing three parents to groan as they’re ripped from slumber. from in-between them, jenna places a hand each on tyler and josh’s arms, pushing them away.

“your turn,” she mumbles, burying her face in a pillow. the boys sigh, stumbling out of bed and squinting when they reach the brightly lit hallway. tyler heads to the kitchen to warm up the milk while josh pads to the bedroom where their babies lie in their cots.

“don’t cry,” he whispers tiredly, pulling ruby up and into his chest. she continues to wail, causing james to start grumbling in his own cot. when tyler returns he wordlessly passes josh one of the bottles and flops down on the other chair in the room with james in his arms. ruby has settled now, one of her tiny hands curling around the plastic of her bottle and blue eyes peering up at her papa. at first they weren’t sure where she inherited her sparkling sapphire irises, and often joked that it was jenna’s influence, somehow. turns out it’s from their grandparents, but they can still pretend.

when there’s only a few drops left in each bottle, and james has already fallen back to sleep, josh glances over at tyler.

“hey ty?” he asks quietly.

“hmm?” comes the alpha’s drowsy response, eyes closed.

“i think i want to go to school,” the omega admits. tyler’s eyes blink open and he lifts his head up from where it rests back on the armchair.

“school?” he repeats.

james squirms in his arms, and he gently rises and places him back in his crib, wrapping him in his blanket. josh follows, placing ruby back down to sleep too. tyler knows his mate’s lack of reply means he’s anxious. just as josh flicks the light off and enters the hall again tyler grasps his wrist lightly, turning the omega to face him. josh’s mocha eyes shift down, until tyler pulls him close by his waist and softly presses their lips together. they pull apart slowly, watching each other through heavy lids in the early morning hour.

“that’s great, j. i’m so proud of you,” tyler says softly. josh blushes, kissing tyler again quickly before heading back to the bedroom and rejoining jenna, tiredly wrapping an arm around her sleeping body.

—

josh enrols in an online high school program, and tries not to think about how weird it is that he’s just turned twenty-six, has two kids and is basically married. it’ll only take him two years to gain a diploma, and then he can go to college. or, do whatever it is people do after they graduate high school. josh stays at home to look after the babies and do his classes online, and when tyler and jenna come home they take over and help him study.

in the summer before he begins the second year of classes, josh is trying his best to concentrate on the maths work in front of him. james and ruby are set up in their play pen, and he keeps an eye on them in between questions. maths is the hardest thing he’s had to learn, and it’s the absolute _worst._  josh groans in frustration as he rubs a hand through his curls, which are back to their natural brown, and resents whoever thought trigonometry was important.

a high pitched giggle rips his attention from the paper and he sits up to peer into the pen. the babies are just over one year old, an occasion that was celebrated with so many members of jenna and tyler’s families that they could barely move around the apartment. josh loves this age, loves seeing his children become more independent. they’ve learnt how to say some words, james is just able to take wobbly steps across the floor, and ruby should follow soon now that she knows her brother can. despite their rough start to life they’re developing just fine, and their parents love all the special moments they share with them — like just now.

josh looks on in wonder, his heart swelling with so much love he’s afraid it will burst. ruby sits up, watching as james leans down and presses his head to the floor. for some reason she finds it hysterical, short squeals of laughter erupting from her little body every time her twin repeats the action. james flashes the biggest toothy smile each time he hears her laugh. josh has never seen anything so adorable, and films a quick snapchat to send to his mates. he keeps watching them secretly, but eventually ruby notices her papa and extends her chubby arms out, begging to be picked up. he can’t deny her, and spends much of the rest of the day just looking after and playing with them, only studying after they go down for their nap.

he’s got an airy feeling of excitement that’s bubbling in his stomach, almost like the anxiety he gets sometimes. when jenna comes home he can’t help but rush to meet her in the hallway, swooping in to kiss her. she’s still for a second before she responds, swiping her tongue along his bottom lip before pulling away with a smile.

“hello to you too,” she giggles, blue eyes sparkling. josh blushes, but smiles back broadly.

“i missed you,” he replies. her face softens and she cups his cheek with one hand.

“how are our little angels— or were they devils?” she asks jokingly. the omega laughs, pulling his mate into the twins’ bedroom. she lets out a soft ‘aww’ when she sees them both peacefully sleeping. they watch them for a few minutes before jenna speaks up.

“i’ll go have a shower,” she whispers, kissing his cheek. josh nods, and they leave the room quietly. just as he hears the spray turn on in the bathroom, the front door unlocks again and tyler wanders inside. he checks on the babies first, as always, before coming to the living room and wrapping his arms around josh’s neck from behind him on the couch. he presses a sloppy wet kiss to the older boy’s neck, making him laugh and squirm out of his hold.

“hey kitten,” tyler smiles, climbing over the back of the couch and sitting next to josh. “how was your day?”

“it was nice,” josh hums, curling under tyler’s arm and wrapping his own arms around tyler’s waist. he rests his head on the alpha’s chest, closing his eyes and smiling against the fabric of his shirt.

“did you get much study done?” tyler asks, affectionately stroking josh’s curls with one hand.

“hmm, not really,” josh replies, sighing. “had lots of fun with the twins though.”

“maddy should be here soon to pick them up,” tyler announces. josh perks up at this, the flutter of excitement returning again. finally, after what seems like _years,_  they’re having a night out together. it’s tyler and jenna’s four year wedding anniversary next week, so they promised one another that they would take the time to celebrate.

“we have to get ready,” tyler pouts, moving out of josh’s arms. josh follows him to the bedroom, where they find jenna moisturising her legs in just a towel, and they all begin preparing to leave.

—

“everything will be fine!”

tyler and josh listen to maddy reassure jenna for the tenth time, hovering by the front door while they wait for their mate. eventually, the click of her heels on the floor comes closer, and they try not to drool as she approaches them.

she has a long white skirt on with a slit up the side, so that when she walks they get a glimpse of one of her golden tanned legs. matching it is a crop top that accentuates _all_ her best features, and suddenly tyler wishes they didn’t have to go to dinner right away. but he’s made reservations at one of the best places in town, so.

they all hop in the car, tyler in the back as josh insists on driving. he only got his license last year, and has been keen to drive his mates around everywhere since. date night begins.

—

“tyler, this place is beautiful,” jenna gushes, head tilted up at the ceiling to admire the large chandelier.

“anything for you,” he replies, swiftly kissing her cheek. josh huffs jokingly from his other side. “and you,” tyler laughs, leaning in to kiss the omega’s stubbly cheek also. the waiter seats them at a nice table towards the back, away from the curious eyes that follow them through the room.

their night consists of too much delicious food, many glasses of wine, fleeting touches and bashful smiles shared between the three mates. it feels like their honeymoon phase all over again. they spend half the time swapping stories about the babies, barely able to contain the affection they feel for their little family.

“i love you so much, j,” tyler says suddenly, reaching a hand over to link with the omega’s. josh’s eyes widen, flicking between tyler and jenna in confusion. “you have no idea how grateful i am that you spend every day taking care of james and ruby. i know it’s hard sometimes, and you get so tired while trying to study at the same time.” tyler frowns guiltily. he rubs his thumb over josh’s hand while jenna continues.

“you’re the best papa they could’ve asked for, and we’d be lost without you,” she says sweetly. josh’s eyes tear up a little as he smiles. tyler leans forward and connects their lips softly, trying to convey just how much he appreciates the boy in front of him. josh sighs happily, kissing back slowly before being tugged towards jenna. he catches her summery scent as their lips meet, and it fills his chest with warmth. he feels slightly dazed when he pulls back, and they can all sense that their time at the restaurant is over.

tyler heads over to pay the bill, ignoring the complaints from jenna and josh. once he’s done he links an arm with each of them, guiding them out of the restaurant with a firm hand on their backs.

—

by the time jenna unlocks their front door, tyler has josh pressed up against the wall, hand slipping beneath his jacket and gripping his waist possessively. he kisses the omega deeply, causing him to release a soft moan.

“ty, c’mon,” jenna mutters, pulling the breathless pair apart and forcing them into the empty apartment. they stumble towards the bedroom, jenna swapping to kiss josh while tyler latches onto his neck. they leave a trail of clothes leading to their bed, before tyler pushes josh down in the middle. he reattaches his lips to the side of the omega’s neck, darkening the bruise he’d begun to form earlier. josh groans, one hand gripping the alpha’s bicep. jenna kneels beside them in just her panties, dipping her head to lick over one of his nipples. josh jolts, the sensitivity much more intense since being pregnant. jenna’s fingers flick teasingly over the other one as she swirls her tongue, while tyler moves down to mouth against his abs.

jenna’s hands are feather light and dance across his skin, where tyler’s grip hard and leave red marks. the contrast makes josh’s head spin, cock hardening in arousal. jenna reconnects their lips, licking into his open mouth while tyler moves lower and begins to mouth along josh’s cock through his boxers. he licks up josh’s shaft, feeling it through the thin fabric, before sucking gently on the head. the older boy moans into jenna’s mouth, until it’s gone again and he’s left gasping for breath. jenna joins tyler and they each hook a hand in his boxers, tugging them off quickly.

“gorgeous,” tyler murmurs, eyes dark as they stare up at his mate. jenna rolls josh’s balls in one hand, slowly tonguing up the side of his cock. one of the omega’s hands tangles in her hair, his white painted nails lost in blonde locks. when tyler does the same from the other side josh keens, eyes squeezing shut, free hand gripping the alpha’s hair. tyler moves swiftly, licking at josh’s slit for a moment before sucking him down. josh shifts restlessly, until jenna has to hold his thighs down while she takes turns with tyler.

“oh my god—“ josh chokes, releasing a breath of air. his toes begin to curl when jenna swallows around him again, her nose brushing his skin. tyler notices how close he seems, and pulls her off gently, leaning in to kiss her instead. their tongues meet and battle for dominance while josh watches on, panting and painfully hard.

“i have an idea,” tyler says when they pull apart. his partners eye him curiously. tyler guides jenna until she’s straddling josh, helping to remove her lace pink underwear. josh is wide-eyed, watching tyler for some instruction. the alpha simply looks to jenna.

“you know what to do,” he smirks. she nods, gripping josh’s spit-slicked cock and giving it a few strokes. josh stays frozen until she rubs his tip over her hole, and he tentatively reaches out to hold her hips. she sinks down slowly, moaning highly at the feeling. they never have the time for sex anymore, and she’s missed it more than she’d like to admit. josh’s eyes roll back, and that’s when she remembers who’s dick exactly she’s sitting on.

“never been inside anyone, have you pet?” tyler says knowingly, stroking josh’s curls out of his eyes. the omega shakes his head. “feels good doesn’t it?”

“y-yes,” he pants. jenna rolls her hips down.

“show him just how good it is babe,” tyler tells jenna, seemingly sitting back to enjoy the show. jenna lifts up then, until just the tip is inside, before slamming back down, their hips slapping together loudly. josh moans, and jenna picks up a quick rhythm. she bends down to attach their lips once again, swallowing josh’s moans while she bounces on his cock. he wraps his tattooed arm around her back, the other reaching downwards to grab her ass. josh begins to thrust upwards, and jenna cries out when he hits her g-spot. he feels distantly as tyler climbs over his legs, but definitely notices it when jenna is pulled away from his chest.

“turn around,” the alpha commands, so jenna does. she sinks down again easily, this time with her back facing josh. tyler places two fingers to her mouth, and she sucks them in easily, coating them with saliva. she assumes it’s for josh, so when tyler reaches down and slips a finger in her alongside the omega’s cock she’s shocked, stopping her movements.

“t-tyler, wha—“ she cuts off with a moan when tyler adds another finger alongside the first.

“keep moving kitten,” tyler directs, glancing at josh’s blissed out face over jenna’s shoulder. he bites back a laugh as josh follows, thrusting his hips up slowly while tyler lifts jenna. after a few minutes he moves them, until josh’s feet rest flat on the ground over the end of the bed. from here, he stands and moves close, pressing his cock against jenna’s hole.

“i’ve got you,” he whispers as her nails dig into his shoulders and josh shudders underneath them. he presses forward and just slips in beside josh, the tightness causing his muscles to twitch.

“f _uck,_ “ she breathes, trying to relax as tyler sinks further in. when they’re both deep inside she flops down, resting her back on josh’s sweaty chest. tyler pulls out and thrusts back in, all of them groaning simultaneously at the friction caused by the action. the feeling of jenna’s tight heat around him and the slide of tyler’s cock along his own is almost too much for josh. he groans, linking his fingers with one of jenna’s hands tightly and resting it on her stomach. tyler keeps thrusting forward, causing jenna to rock backwards on josh’s chest. the omega’s hips move slightly, so that they’re both thrusting at the same time. jenna releases a stream of breathy moans, mind reeling at the stretch of both her mates filling her up at once.

“tyler,” josh draws out a moan, tightening his grip on jenna’s hand and snapping his hips upwards.

“let go, kitten. you’ve been so good,” tyler praises, and it’s all it takes for josh to release inside the beta. they both moan, before josh whines at the overstimulation. he slips out of jenna, and tyler wraps his arms around her back and lifts her off josh and back onto the bed. he thrusts back inside forcefully, so close to climaxing. josh’s come runs out of her hole and down his cock, making him groan loudly.

“c’mon love,” he pants, reaching a hand down to rub jenna’s clit. she cries, back arching and legs tightening around tyler’s hips while she comes. the sight causes him to see stars, and his hips stutter as he comes. jenna sobs as he pulls out, and josh is quick to wrap his arms around her, stroking her back comfortingly as she cries into his shoulder. they’re both worried for a second, until they hear a watery laugh. tyler sighs in relief, cuddling close behind his wife, too tired to clean them up.

“is that what it felt like to give birth?” she asks josh, head thrown back in another laugh. he giggles, kissing her shoulder affectionately and wrapping an arm around her, feeling as happy and safe as he ever has with his two lovers.

—

josh's first day of college rolls around quicker than he'd imagined it would. it feels surreal, as he packs his bag full of books and reads over his timetable again.

"ready, love?" jenna says from the doorway.

"guess so," he replies flatly.

"what's up?" she asks, moving closer.

"'m just nervous," the omega admits.

"you can do this j," she insists. he can't help but smile at her incessant optimism. she presses a kiss to his cheek, eyes softening as she continues, "you've been through so much already, and this is something i know you really want to do. you'll be amazing."

cheeks rosy, josh kisses her lightly, feeling slightly more confident.

"come on lovebirds," tyler ushers them from the room.

"we're only a phone call away," the beta assures as tyler hugs the omega.

"love you," he grins, and josh rolls his eyes.

"love you too," he says to them both. they stare at the closed door after he leaves, an odd sense of pride and nostalgia washing over them like it would on their children’s first day of school.

“they grow up so fast,” tyler sighs wistfully, trying to keep a straight face. it breaks when jenna slaps him on the shoulder and snorts.

—

while josh is at college trying his best not to freak out at the flood of new faces and names, tyler and jenna attempt to go about their day without worrying about their omega. tyler keeps his phone within arms reach at all times, waiting for the moment 'kitten' will flash across the screen. however, he doesn’t need to, made clear the moment he comes home.

he finds josh with james in his lap, jenna mirroring them from the chair opposite with ruby. the beta took the day off to look after them. josh tickles james as he squeals out a laugh, flashing him a toothy grin.

“papa,” he whines, squirming out of josh’s grip. he spots tyler in the doorway and rushes towards him on wobbly legs. tyler scoops him up easily, swinging him above his head before settling him on his hip.

“hey munchkin,” he greets, james snuggling into his shoulder. “did you miss papa today?” he asks the small boy. james nods, curls tickling tyler’s chin. he wriggles, eyes lighting up when they meet his dad’s.

“we made cookies with mama!” he exclaims. tyler and josh laugh while jenna smiles sheepishly. of course they did. jenna’s old midnight cooking habits had easily turned into cooking sessions with the twins once they could hold the utensils.

“we better go taste them then!” tyler replies, carrying james into the kitchen and swiping a freshly baked cookie off the cooling rack. he gives the toddler half, snorting when he tries to shove it all in his mouth at once.

“and now it must be time for bed,” josh says, biting into his own cookie. james whines, but ruby is already dozing off in jenna’s arms.

“come on big boy,” tyler says, leading them out of the room, “i’ll sing you a song if you’re good for me.” james stops whinging at that, and while tyler and jenna put the kids to bed josh has a chance to relax. his eyes are just slipping closed when tyler re-enters on his own.

“jen said college was good?” he asks, sinking down next to the omega on the couch. he pulls josh down so his head rests in his lap, threading his fingers through his brown strands comfortingly.

“i got so lost,” josh laughs. he rubs an eye with his palm clumsily, “but the classes were good, and the teachers were nice.”

“did you make any friends?”

“no,” josh sighs, “nobody really talked to me.” tyler frowns at that, but josh lifts a hand to his cheek. “i’ll be okay, ty.”

the alpha smiles fondly at that, and at josh’s ability to assure himself instead of relying on him.

“i know you will.”

—

josh twirls his car keys in his fingers absently as he walks into his toddler’s daycare. it’s one of his favourite parts of the daily routine, seeing james and ruby’s chubby grins when he comes to pick them up after college. he’s a tad early today, and story-time is still finishing up, so he waits in the hall with the other parents. he knows a few of them now, like red-lipstick tracey, pregnant betty and homemade cookies morgan. the mothers know each other very well, clearly having just come from a yoga class together. he _knows_  it’s just a cover up for their gossip obsession. they don’t notice him as they’re huddled together by the door, midway through a conversation about a new child to the daycare that gets dropped off by a nanny.

“what kind of message is that sending to the child?” tracey asks, adjusting her bright blue headband.

“exactly,” betty adds, “it’s like, ‘sorry, but we just don’t have time for you!’”

“well she isn’t the only nanny who comes here,” morgan says, hushed. “what about the young twins, they have an omega come get them almost every day, surely he can’t be their father.”

josh stares from where he leans against the wall behind them, face heating up. they _can’t_  be talking about him. he moves around the corner out of eyesight, but listens closely.

“i’ve seen their mother here before, so he must be the nanny. bit of a shame to have no kids of his own.”

“must be hard to take,” tracey replies.

“i often feel sorry for them,” betty says. rubbing her belly she adds, “i hope my baby boy turns out normal.”

josh feels himself deflate, embarrassed by their remarks. he turns the corner and enters the classroom quickly, avoiding their eyes. james is helping ruby pick up her bag, and his eyes light up when he sees his papa. josh can’t help but feel lighter just from seeing them. no matter what the mothers think, he is and always will be their father. but as he leads his children back to the car, holding a hand each, he can’t help but feel unsettled by what he overheard.

—

“what is it love?” jenna asks, curling her small arms around josh’s waist as he washes the dinner plates. he shrugs in response, focusing on the bubbles in the sink. jenna uncurls her arms and instead brings one up to grip his chin gently, turning him to face her.

“you were so quiet tonight. has something happened?” he sighs, finally looking at his partner.

“it’s stupid.”

“what is?” tyler asks, entering the kitchen. he’s finally succeeded in putting the kids to bed. jenna leads josh over to a stool, sitting down beside him.

“we love you,” she reassures him, “please talk to us.”

tyler frowns, busying himself with making coffee. he knows josh doesn’t like their undivided attention in times like these.

“it’s the moms at daycare, i overheard them talking about me.”

“about you?” tyler asks quickly, defensive. “why?”

“they think i’m a nanny,” he says tiredly, “and betty hopes her baby is normal, unlike me.” jenna squeezes his hand, blue eyes sympathetic. tyler on the other hand, rolls his eyes and scoffs. as they’ve been mated for over four years, they’ve dealt with a lot of judgment and offhand comments. not only about josh’s status, but their relationship as a whole. he’s sick of it.

“what do they know? bitches,” he mutters. he places his mug on the counter and spins to face his partners. “i know how to fix this.”

—

josh twirls his keys again the next day as he enters the familiar building. tyler holds the door open, reaching for the omega’s hand as he passes through. he smiles, comforted by the act. he can hear the chatter of the mothers, but it stops as soon as they turn the corner. josh sees their eyes fly between himself, tyler and their linked fingers. but before any of them can speak, a stream of older children exit the doorway hand-in-hand. once they’ve passed, josh and tyler enter the room to find their own children.

“daddy!” ruby yells across the room when she sees him, rushing over. tyler kneels to meet her, lifting her up and kissing her cheek.

“hello sunshine,” he grins. josh picks up james when he begins to pout, lifting the two small backpacks in his free hand.

“why is daddy here?” james asks, and josh can see he isn’t the only one wondering. the mothers haven’t stopped staring at them, clearly confused.

“i missed my little pumpkins!” tyler says, leading them out. however, he stops in the doorway, right next to the women, and pulls josh in to kiss him sweetly. “and papa.”

“daddyyy,” james whines placing a chubby hand on tyler’s lips and pushing him away. josh chuckles, cheeks slightly red, especially when he sees the realisation dawning on betty’s face.

“let’s get home to mommy,” tyler adds as they pass.

—

after the birth of the twins, the three of them had a lot of changes to adjust to. it took them a while, but they got the hang of the whole parenting role, and their relationship evolved with it too. their love for one another never faltered, instead expanding to include the two little humans lighting up their lives. josh had become very secure in his place in their family, and his relationship with tyler especially.

which is why he was surprised to find out that going to college would change everything. it was nowhere near as life-changing as becoming parents, but there was one element tyler had not thought about. he was going to have to share josh now, between more people than just his little family, and he didn’t like it at all.

“i met a really nice guy today,” josh says one night over dinner, “we’re doing the same course.”

“that’s lovely,” jenna replies, trying to feed ruby her peas.

“what’s his name?” tyler asks.

“brendon.”

“is he an alpha?” tyler presses. josh meets his gaze, freezing at the intensity behind tyler’s eyes.

“uh, i’m not sure,” he responds. and then quietly, “does it matter?”

tyler remains still for a second before tersely replying, “of course not,” and the conversation ends there.

—

“when was the last time you went out?” brendon asks josh a few weeks later at college.

“out?” he repeats, slinging his backpack on as they leave the lecture hall.

“you know, for drinks,” brendon continues.

“oh,” josh replies. “i’ve never really - done that.”

brendon stops, staring incredulously at josh’s back until the boy turns around. josh fixes his gaze on his vans.

“i- what,” he sputters. “then you’re coming out tonight. with me.”

josh snaps his head up, jaw dropping slightly. “i’m not sure tyler would-“

“who cares!” brendon interrupts. “it’s not like you’re a kid anymore, you can spend time with your friends, have some fun,” he bats his eyelashes until josh relents, somewhat hesitantly.

“alright.”

a few hours later, after convincing his two lovers he’d be fine and would come back at a reasonable hour, josh meets brendon at a bar in the city.

the buzz of chatter hits his ears before they even enter. the lights are dimmed slightly, giving off a warm glow. brendon tugs him straight to the bar, ordering a drink for each of them.

“don’t look so scared!” he giggles at josh’s bewildered face, “i’ll start you off nice and easy, promise.” a few seconds later they carry their bright pink drinks over to a booth, just as a band steps up on a small stage in the room. josh tentatively sips at the drink, but it tastes good. he doesn’t have the courage to ask brendon what’s in it, though. he startles when the band starts warming up, loud crashes from the drumkit echoing over the littered conversations around them.

brendon watches them interestedly, “i follow these guys on insta. i think they’re really going somewhere.”

“you like music?” josh asks, taking a more confident sip from his cocktail.

“totally! i used to be in a band in high school, before…” he trails off, forehead wrinkling in thought. “anyway, it doesn’t matter. maybe i can get back into it later.”

“what did you play?” josh asks, leaning forward to hear his friend better.

“a bit of everything, but mainly i just sang.” the conversation is cut off when the band launches into their first song. brendon taps his leg to the beat, wide smile gracing his features. josh switches his attention from his friend to the band. the drink has made him feel warm and relaxed, and he listens to the music enthusiastically.

“i’ll get you another one?” brendon asks him between songs and josh smiles gratefully. his lack of knowledge about different types of alcohol is kind of embarrassing. brendon comes back with a blue drink this time and a smirk on his face. they listen to the band until their drinks are finished, chatting over the noise about their lives and college. brendon suddenly jumps up, reaching his hands out towards josh.

“care to dance?”

he wouldn’t usually be caught dead on a dance floor, but he feels more confident with the drinks in his system and brendon by his side. they creep to the edge of the dance floor and bounce to the music. the lead singer makes eye contact with them and winks, and josh feels sort of _cool_  or something, like this is a place he really belongs. when the set ends, brendon approaches the singer and josh takes the opportunity to slip back to the bar. just as he gathers the courage to ask for another drink he feels two hands firmly grip his shoulders.

“nooo more drinks for you sir,” brendon coaxes him away from the bar, “i don’t want to piss off your boyfriend.”

josh giggles, “husband,” as they exit the venue.

“i didn’t think you were married?” brendon asks, looking pointedly at josh’s bare ring finger. this causes the omega to frown.

“long story,” is his only answer.

“okay buddy, in you get,” brendon directs josh into a taxi. brendon kisses his cheek goodnight and waves his own taxi down before closing the door and leaving josh alone. he sobers up quite suddenly, nervous about the unfamiliar situation. he makes no small talk with the driver, and pays quickly when he arrives home.

josh cringes as the front door clicks shut, light from outside breaching the darkness of their home. he ended up staying out a bit later than planned, and the apartment is silent. as quietly as possible josh slips into his bedroom and in beside tyler, who rolls away from him and towards jenna, who doesn’t stir. he’s too tired to care, and falls asleep within seconds.

—

“headache, love?” jenna asks the next morning while josh gives james and ruby a bath. he glances up at her, bubbles coating his arms.

“i didn’t drink a lot,” he replies. she smiles softly at him and he senses that she expected as much. “is tyler making breakfast?”

jenna hesitates, smile dropping. “no, he’s gone to work. i’ll do it,” she leaves before he can reply. it’s usually too early for tyler to leave yet, but he lets it go and resumes washing the shampoo out of james’ hair. the smell of jenna’s bacon and pancakes wafting in from the kitchen makes him instantly feel better.

—

tyler continues to be more distant than usual for a couple of weeks, but with their busy schedules there’s no time to talk it out and figure out what’s bothering the alpha. eventually josh chooses to stay home with his family over hanging out with his newfound friends as much, and everything returns to normal.

the twins’ third birthday comes around before any of them are ready, and frantic plans are made for balloons, cake, invites and presents. it’s times like these they’re glad that there’s three of them around to get things done. the boys are especially grateful for jenna, and stay up to keep her company as she cooks well into the night in preparation for the party the next day.

the sight of their little one’s chubby cheeks puffing as they blow out their candles together makes the stress all worth it, and they can’t even be mad when the birthday cake ends up all over the apartment. everything runs smoothly, until tyler spots an unexpected guest in the entry talking to his omega. josh smiles brightly at a tall dark-haired man as he hands over a gift, and pulls him into a hug. the guy’s face drops as he meets tyler’s furious gaze over josh’s shoulder. he pulls away quickly and tyler watches as he points away from their home and leaves, making an excuse. tyler feels satisfied by this, until josh closes the door and approaches him, face twisted in anger.

“what did you do?” he demands.

“me? _you_  didn’t tell me he was coming!” tyler responds just as angrily.

“i didn’t think it would be an issue!” josh’s raised voice catches the attention of a few people nearby and he flushes when they start staring. “i’m not arguing with you tyler, it’s our children’s birthday party for god’s sake.” he brushes past the alpha, determined to not let tyler ruin his twins’ day.

—

tyler becomes distant again, but josh doesn’t care as much this time. he’s still angry with him for being rude to brendon. after another morning of waking up to tyler already having left for work, he feels a headache coming on. by the time he’s supposed to leave he feels terrible, and decides to take the day off. jenna presses a tender kiss to his cheek before she leaves, james and ruby in tow. later, he has to pick them up from day care. ruby pouts until he picks her up, and when they return home she stays by his side, nuzzling her head against his leg as he takes some ibuprofen. he picks her up and carries her to the lounge. by the time he sits on the couch, she’s falling asleep in his lap. james runs into the room with his favourite toy, but his papa can’t muster the energy to play when he pleads.

“mama or daddy will play when they get home,” he tries to compromise. it doesn’t really work and james’ bottom lip starts to wobble dangerously.

the door clicks open just in time and jenna’s head emerges from the hall, putting the omega at ease. she walks over to him quickly, placing a hand on his forehead.

“are you alright?” she asks, worried.

“fine,” he replies tensely, “can you look after these two while i take a nap?”

“of course,” she takes over easily, shifting ruby into her own arms. she grumbles when josh leaves, but jenna puts her down to play with her brother while she makes a quick phone call.

—

“josh,” jenna’s gentle voice coaxes him from sleep. he groans, senses going into overdrive, giving him another headache.

“honey, i’ve made plans for you and ty at that nice hotel in town for the weekend,” she rubs his arm, feels how hot his skin is to touch. he blinks at her blearily, head foggy.

“tyler?” he asks, the only thing he heard. he’s too hot and sweaty, clothes suffocating him. it suddenly dawns on josh why he feels so terrible. he’s going into heat.

“here,” she hands him her phone. “call tyler while i look after the twins. he should be coming home soon.” she kisses his forehead and leaves the bedroom. josh sits up, dialling tyler’s number while one hand drifts over his crotch absently.

“hey sweetheart,” tyler’s voice drifts through the phone. josh stifles a moan.

“tyler,” he huffs, palming his growing erection.

“oh,” tyler replies, “what’s up josh?”

“i need you,” comes josh’s whiny response. tyler is silent for a moment.

“shit!” he exclaims, “i totally forgot your heat. i have a business trip this weekend, i’m so sorry.” that catches josh attention, and he stills his movement.

“you…what?” he pants.

“i have to go to LA, we’re leaving tonight.” tyler tells him. the need in josh’s bones creeps in, leaving him desperate.

“but i need you!” he complains. tyler sighs.

“sorry josh, i have to go. jenna can help you through the first few days until i get back.”

“but-“ tyler’s gone before he can reply. his skin itches and tears spring to his eyes. what is he supposed to do now? his alpha just abandoned him when he needs him the most. jenna re-enters the room then, immediately coming to his side when she notices the tears.

“oh baby, what’s wrong?” she asks, wiping his wet cheeks.

“he’s working in LA,” josh sniffs and jenna frowns. “and it h-hurts,” the omega whimpers.

“i’ll look after you,” she comforts him, soothing a hand down his shivering spine. she really needs to talk to her husband about this, but josh has to come first. “i’ll go call zack and tatum to babysit, they need the practice anyway.”

josh smiles faintly, but he can’t help feeling empty at the rejection by his alpha.

—

when tyler finally makes his return to their home two days later he finds an exasperated jenna and an upset josh.

“please don’t cry kitten,” he hears jenna plead from outside the bedroom door. when he cracks it open the pair whip around to stare at his figure. jenna, fully clothed, hovers above the omega with one hand scratching over his scalp and the other pushing their only knotting dildo in and out of his entrance. josh sobs in relief when he sees tyler, and jenna releases her grip on him to stand up. tyler watches as josh reaches out to her with a soft cry, listens to jenna’s warm reassurance that tyler will look after him now. she brushes past her husband without a second glance, face stony and bags under her eyes.

“alpha,” josh whimpers from the bed. he doesn’t look much better, fresh tears on his cheeks and limbs flailing restlessly. and he’s _sad._  tyler instantly feels guilt pool in his stomach. he didn’t realise just how hard it would be on the both of them to deal with josh’s heat without him.

“i’m here kitten,” he comforts, stripping off and approaching his boy on the bed. he removes the toy from josh’s entrance and replaces it with his cock, already hard just from josh’s scent when he entered the room. josh’s eyes squeeze shut, strong arms scratching down tyler’s back in an instant. for the first time since his heat began he feels full and content.

—

josh falls asleep as soon as tyler knots him, before tyler can even get them settled or his cock stops pulsing inside the omega. by the time he wakes up his heat has calmed down significantly, and he sighs in relief. tyler’s arms are wrapped around his chest, and he glances up into the deep brown irises of his mate.

“i’m sorry i wasn’t here,” tyler begins, glancing away. “i feel like i failed you.”

josh, more clear headed and feeling better than he has in days, is quick to forgive him. “it’s okay. you had to go, and jenna did a good job looking after me.”

tyler thanks whatever god there is for his perfect wife, always ready to handle anything without a second thought. the memory of her face when he last saw her flashes in his mind and he gulps, hoping he hadn’t pushed her too far this time. before he can even think about getting up to find her, josh has straddled his torso and is leaning in to capture his lips with his own hungrily.

“not done yet?” tyler asks breathily when they separate, chests heaving. his cock slips between the omega’s cheeks as he grinds down above him and shakes his head. tyler figures its fair enough considering what happened, and groans when he feels josh’s tight heat envelop him once again. this might take longer to pass than he thinks.

—

another two days later josh’s heat has safely passed, and the twins are returned to their parents. josh tries not to laugh at zack’s weary face when he takes ruby off her. she cuddles into his chest and he holds her tightly, having missed her in the short time they’d been apart.

“we can’t thank you enough,” jenna says, taking james from tatum and grinning at her relief.

“it was no problem!” tatum replies enthusiastically, but they know all too well what their kids get up to. tyler laughs, “sure,” and sees them out.

“are you mad at him?” josh asks his mate.

jenna huffs, “he was careless. he had no right-“

james’ innocent dark eyes peering up at jenna cause her to stop. josh envelops jenna in a hug, the twins giggling as they’re squished between them.

“it’s okay! you took care of me,” josh says, kissing jenna’s cheek. tyler comes back, halting when he sees his two mates. he watches as josh smiles at his wife, one of the squinty ones he loves the most.

“i love you,” he tells her, and she blushes lightly. tyler stiffens. a scene like this would usually make his heart melt, but now he just feels- jealous?

“i love you too,” she replies, patting josh’s cheek before taking james to the kitchen with the promise of making them pancakes. josh follows happily until he spots tyler, frozen in the entry.

“is something wrong?” he asks worriedly. tyler swallows down his uneasiness and reassures josh he is fine. he only wishes he could believe it.

—

brendon jogs up beside josh before their first class, a breathless “hey dude!” alerting the omega to his presence.

“hey man,” he replies tiredly. ruby had been restless last night, meaning josh was woken up every few hours by her soft cries.

“is everything okay? where have you been? i haven’t seen you in like, a week,” brendon says as they enter the room.

“i, uh, wasn’t feeling well,” josh blushes.

brendon persists, “for a whole week?”

josh rolls his eyes and quickly mutters “i was in heat.”

brendon’s eyes widen at the realisation. for the first time since josh met him, he looks sheepish. he apologises and adds a hopeful, “wanna come hang tonight?” that josh can’t deny.

—

tyler appears to overcompensate for his mistake soon after, especially to his wife.

“do you want any more, love?” he offers jenna the following weekend. he’d made waffles before anyone had woken up and served them straight to his two partners in bed. it’s the first time he’s cooked breakfast for them, like, ever.

“no i’m full, honey. this is great,” jenna replies, grinning at him from where she’s sitting up next to josh. tyler retreats back to the kitchen with their empty plates.

“this is weird isn’t it?” she asks josh.

“totally,” josh answers, stretching his arms out and sighing when his joints pop, “but i’ll accept breakfast in bed any day.”

jenna giggles, grabs josh by his tattooed shoulder and pulls him into a sticky kiss. tyler spots them as he returns with coffee, jealousy making him feel sick, and when josh leans in to kiss his wife again he feels almost angered by the action. he approaches with the coffees he made them, but only hands jenna one. josh eyes the one in his hand, frowning.

“sorry, only made two,” tyler shrugs, turning to leave. he feels suffocated when he’s near them when they’re together.

josh feels the same emptiness as when tyler left him to suffer through his heat without a second thought. jenna can sense his mood has dropped and rubs his arm comfortingly.

“here,” she offers him her coffee, “we’ll share.”

—

josh figures if tyler won’t pay him any attention at home, there isn’t much point being there. he spends more and more time with brendon, and the other man’s friends that are soon becoming his own. he finds them all so interesting, and it’s a good break from just going between being a student and a father all the time. as soon as the summer break hits, they go out to celebrate. only josh, brendon and his other friend jesse are the one’s going to college, but a big group join them at a bar in the city.

“we did it man,” brendon grins at him, already tipsy. he clinks their glasses and they drink together. josh is proud of himself for getting through his first year, and fleetingly wishes that his mates were here to celebrate with him. “hey! none of that,” brendon says, spotting his frown. he clumsily presses his fingers to josh’s face, pulling it into a smile. josh swats him away but laughs, grateful for having met someone he gets along with so well.

“care to dance?” josh offers this time, having improved his dance floor skills over the months they’ve known each other. brendon wipes away a fake tear.

“my boy’s learning so fast,” he says, gripping josh’s hand and following him to the dance floor, where they’re squished together amongst sweaty bodies. jesse and hayley join them, both standing out with their brightly coloured hair.

“should i dye my hair?” he yells over the music. hayley gasps and places a hand in his curls.

“yessss,” she drawls, “sunshine yellow! because you’re sunshine,” she laughs. he doesn’t understand what she means but laughs along with her. they resume dancing, until someone falls into brendon’s back, causing him to spill his drink all over josh’s front. they look at each other, shocked, before laughing until they’re doubled over.

“come on,” brendon giggles, leading him away from their friends and to the bathroom. josh sits on the counter as brendon dabs at his shirt with paper towels, but it only makes it worse.

“it’s ruined,” he moans. tyler bought him this shirt for one of their anniversaries.

“here,” brendon says, pulling off his own shirt. “swap me.” josh spots a jagged scar on brendon’s shoulder, a teeth mark. brendon notices, pressing his free hand over to cover it. josh quickly removes his shirt and pulls brendon’s on.

“i’ll tell you,” brendon says, pulling josh off the counter, “but not now. everything’s too blurry.” he giggles more. the music blasts in their ears as they exit the bathroom, and the bite mark is forgotten as josh rejoins hayley and jesse mid twerk-off.

—

josh is creeping towards his bedroom when he almost jumps out of his skin. as he glances into the living room, he spots a figure sitting in the darkness.

“jesus christ,” he mutters, hushed, a hand clutching his chest. he flicks the light on and walks towards tyler, sits next to him on the couch. he feels like a teenager in trouble for returning home too late - and it turns out he is.

“do you know what time it is?” tyler asks, unimpressed.

josh’s head is still foggy, and he has no idea. “no?” he answers. tyler huffs.

“i called you like ten times,” he accuses, and josh stills. he remembers tyler’s name flashing across his phone before stuffing it back in his pocket. tyler’s been ignoring him for weeks, sue him if he wanted to return the favour. still, he says nothing.

“we couldn’t get ruby to sleep for hours. she kept asking for you,” tyler continues. josh swallows, stares at a spot on the wall, tries to push away feelings of guilt. he just wanted to celebrate finishing his first year. jenna wanders into the room in her pyjamas, messy high bun bouncing as she steps. this doesn’t deter tyler, who continues his scolding.

“and you seriously have the nerve to come home smelling like _him?_  is that his shirt?” tyler glares.

“um,” he stutters, “m-mine got dirty.” it sounds pathetic even to his own ears. he looks to jenna, as he often does in times like these, but she doesn’t accept him as warmly this time. instead she tells him,

“maybe you should go shower.”

josh nods and heads to the bathroom, following her order. he sighs as he steps under the spray and washes the sweat off his body. before he even has a second to think about what just happened, the shower door opens again. startled, josh turns to face the intruder. tyler herds him against the shower wall quickly, pushing their bare chests together. without a word, he grips the back of josh’s head and crashes their mouths together forcefully. josh moans at the contact, opening his mouth to tyler. he hasn’t kissed him properly in so long, let alone like this. josh feels weak, knees buckling. the shower continues to soak their bodies, making his skin slippery as tyler’s hand trails down his chest and grabs his hip. when they pull apart tyler lifts him up by the hips, josh wrapping his legs around tyler’s waist. he pants, head thrown back against the wall as tyler reaches a hand down and brushes it over his hole. without warning, he pushes two fingers in. josh keens, before tyler silences him with his mouth again. he pushes in deeply without pause, curling his fingers to brush against josh’s prostate. it’s fast and it’s messy but it has josh’s head spinning and toes curling behind tyler’s back. tyler adds another finger, scissors them apart as he wipes water out of his eyes with his other hand.

josh grips tyler’s shoulders tightly and whines when tyler removes his fingers from his hole. he cries out when they’re suddenly replaced, the head of tyler’s cock pressing forcefully inside in an instant. tyler’s teeth latch onto his neck, across the scar he left there years ago, and he thrusts fully inside. he works quickly, lifting josh up by his hips while pulling back out. he pushes the omega up against the tiles as he thrusts back in hard. he maintains a steady pace as josh groans at the stimulation, tyler’s cock brushing his prostate on every thrust. his back slides up against the wall harshly every time tyler pushes in, leaving red marks. the alpha pulls back from his neck, and the large purple bruise he left there.

“you’re mine,” he growls, punctuated by a strong thrust. josh moans again, nails digging into tyler’s skin.

“yours,” he huffs breathlessly. tyler mouths at the other side of his neck.

“and hers,” he adds, picking up the pace of his thrusts. josh can’t take it anymore, and comes untouched. he grips his cock between them, stroking himself through his release. he whines when tyler doesn’t let up, the overstimulation sending electric shocks through his body. tyler grunts and pulls out, unhooking josh’s legs from his waist and standing back under the spray. he starts stroking his cock and josh takes the hint, falling to his knees. he paws at tyler’s thighs until finally the alpha moans and spurts across josh’s face. his mouth is open and willing, hoping to catch some of his alpha’s come. he looks filthy and used, shaking on the hard tiles, and that’s how tyler leaves him. he manages to crawl into bed ten minutes later, sore and aching, but hopeful that tyler will talk to him tomorrow.

—

tyler doesn’t talk. he also doesn’t mention anything about what happened the night before. josh is at a loss. he doesn’t want to abandon his friends again, especially now that he has time in the summer to catch up with them. so he continues to do so, in between taking the twins to the park, or to their swimming lessons, or to see their grandparents. about a month into the holidays tyler and jenna take time off work to spend time with the twins and josh as a family.

unfortunately for josh, this turns into jenna and tyler spending a lot of time together while he’s left to look after the kids, or by himself. jenna seems unaware of tyler’s actions, simply enjoying having him take her out without the usual stress of work. she spends time with him too, and it’s enough to keep him happy. there’s also his two little humans, now learning to run around and climb things with ease, to keep him on his toes. after another exhausting day of chasing after james and ruby while jenna and tyler were out, josh rests on the couch while talking to brendon on the phone.

“and they said yes!” brendon is exclaiming, telling the story of how one of his favourite bands let him on stage to sing with them last night. josh laughs, happy for his best friend.

“oh dude, i wish i was there to see it,” he sighs, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes. netflix begins playing the next episode of the x-files on the tv in front of him.

“how about a repeat performance tonight?” brendon suggests, “a few of us are going again.” josh thinks it over, itching to get out of the house but wary of how tyler will react.

“i better not,” he concludes dejectedly.

“is he seriously not letting you out?” brendon whines.

“it’s not that-“ josh begins, but the front door opens and his mates return home. “i’ve gotta go, bren.” he hangs up before brendon can reply, shifting his attention back to the tv. jenna comes and sits beside him, lifting her feet into his lap. her skin feels warm where he touches her ankles, tanned golden brown by hours sitting on the beach.

“did you miss me?” she asks cheekily, and josh huffs a laugh.

“always.”

tyler joins them, sitting next to jenna and slinging an arm over her shoulders. he grabs the remote and turns off the x-files, choosing some rom-com he knows jenna loves instead.

“i was watching that,” josh protests, glancing at tyler. he looks back, features indifferent as he shrugs.

“jen and i want to watch this,” he says, final.

after the months of tension between them, of the growing hostility and avoidance, this is what breaks josh’s last resolve. he stands abruptly, glaring daggers at his mate, ignoring the look of bewilderment from jenna as she sits up.

“what have i done?” he yells, voice raised above what any of them have ever heard from him. for once, he doesn’t care about making a scene. tyler’s mouth opens, then shuts again. josh takes the opportunity to continue, “you’ve been treating me like shit for _months_  tyler, and what did i do to deserve it? was it because i went to college? because i stopped wanting to be at home all the time, looking after you and everyone else and never doing anything for myself? or is it because i made a friend for the first time in my life? you just can’t bear to share me with anyone,” he seethes, hands shaking.

the alpha watches him in shock, takes in his heaving chest and flushed cheeks. two pairs of scared eyes peer around the doorway, and jenna rushes to usher them back to bed.

“i’m an adult tyler! i can make my own decisions, and i don’t need your approval,” he spits, beginning to pace. tyler tries to think of a reply, but his usual anger towards josh has completely dissipated and he remains seated on the couch feeling foolish. he’s horrified when he sees tears gathering in his mate’s eyes.

"i spent fourteen years of my life around people who would ignore me and then pretend they weren't. they didn't love me," he points at tyler, "but i thought _you_ did."

finally tyler gathers the courage to reply, to apologise, but as soon as he opens his mouth josh snaps,“i don’t want to hear it,” and leaves, the door slamming in his wake.

—

outside the apartment, josh decides that he _will_  go and party with his friends, because why shouldn’t he? he wipes at a fallen tear as he heads to the city.

inside the apartment, it’s jenna’s turn to confront tyler.

“all the times you’ve taken me out this summer, all the nice things you’ve bought me- it was to get at him?” she accuses, disgusted at the realisation of why josh is so angry.

“no!” tyler cries, “i did those things because i love you,” he adds desperately, mind reeling.

“you’re unbelievable!” she shouts. “you’re supposed to love both of us, and now you’ve used me just to upset josh. i’m beyond disappointed in you tyler.” jenna storms from the room, leaving tyler to scramble together a way to fix what he has done.

—

josh smiles when he spots his group of friends across the bar, making fools of themselves in front of the band performing.

“joshie!” brendon all but squeals as he approaches, immediately pulling him into a bear hug. josh’s heart warms at the action. his best friend’s affection always cheers him up. he can tell he has a lot of catching up to do, and heads to the bar once he’s free to order a drink. one of the girls with brendon follows him. she’s pretty, with pouty lips and bright auburn hair. she’s petite too, but bounces with energy.

“i’m debby,” she introduces, holding a small hand out. he grips it and smiles.

“josh, or joshie if you’re brendon apparently,” he laughs, letting her hand go. she laughs too, then orders them each a raspberry vodka. he blushes as she pays for the drinks. “you didn’t have to do that,” he tells her as they return to the group.

“it’s nothing! i enjoy buying drinks for cute boys,” she winks, and his blush deepens. not many people flirt with him, and when they do he doesn’t usually reciprocate. but debby seems harmless, and a nice distraction from the terrible night he’s had. they dance together, debby buys them more drinks, and then shots, and they watch on in hysterics as brendon tries to persuade the band to let him on the stage again. he’s unsuccessful, and heads to the back of the room to sulk with jesse for a while. when josh turns his attention back to debby, she leans in suddenly and captures his lips with her own. stunned, he kisses her back for a moment until a sharp pain in his neck forces him to pull back. he grips his throbbing neck with one hand, and when debby’s eyes follow the movement she spots tyler’s scar in the low light on the other side.

“oh!” she gasps, eyes wide as realisation dawns on her. josh’s breaths quicken as he starts to panic, and he quickly escapes the dance floor and heads outside for some air. as he leans against the wall in the alley outside to catch his breath, everything from the night, and the past few months, hits him at once. he sobs, covering his face with an arm. less than a minute later brendon is by his side, and pulls his shaking form into his arms.

“you’re okay,” he soothes. “you didn’t mean for it to happen.” josh pulls back and looks at his friend, crestfallen.

“you saw?”

brendon nods, and more tears slip from josh’s eyes. “i want to go home,” he says despondently.

“are you sure you’re okay to get home? you can stay at mine,” brendon offers, but josh shakes his head, pulling away from the wall and towards a taxi. he just wants to go home, and brendon lets him leave, a concerned look on his face.

—

“wake up sunshines-“

“daddy shhh!” comes james’ quick reply as tyler enters their bedroom the next morning.

“papa’s tired,” ruby adds from where she’s curled up beside josh. the sight of his two babies lying on either side of his sleeping omega makes tyler’s heart swell, until it breaks when he realises why josh didn’t return to his own bed last night. josh stirs and blinks blearily at his surroundings for a moment before making eye contact with tyler. he looks away purposefully, and tyler hesitantly backs out of the room. cuddled into josh’s chest james asks him,

“are you angry at daddy, papa?”

josh thinks about his explosion yesterday, and then about the bar and kissing debby. as hard as he tries he can’t help but start crying at the memory.

“papa, don’t cry,” ruby whispers, frowning. she lifts her chubby hand and wipes the tears from his face, which makes him feel worse. he’s being comforted by a three year old. james hops out of the bed and wanders around the house looking for jenna. he finds her and his daddy in the kitchen. he tugs at her pyjama shorts and she peers down at him.

“papa is sad,” he tells her urgently, and jenna quickly goes to find out what’s wrong. tyler moves to join her, but is stopped by a little hand pushing on his knee, and a toddler frowning up at him. james pushes again, mutters a ‘no,’ before turning and tottering back to the rest of the family. tyler stands alone in the kitchen, feeling even more wrecked by the actions of his son than of his mates the previous day. even james doesn’t want him near josh.

jenna kneels next to the bed, and pushes josh’s curls off his face gently. she guides him through steadying his breathing, until he’s calm enough to stop crying and sit up.

“there you go sweetheart,” she comforts, leaning in to hug him. “i’m sorry i didn’t realise sooner.” josh sniffs, but he can’t blame her for any of this. she never once treated him any differently. he tells her as such.

“do you want to talk to tyler?” she asks softly. as much as he does not want to confront tyler again, he knows they have to move past this as soon as possible, for the sake of their kids at least. he also needs to tell him about kissing debby. the thought makes him shudder.

“okay,” he agrees. jenna busies the kids, gets them to pick out their clothes for the day and promises to take them to the park. josh leaves them to hunt down his mate, and finds him twirling an old ultrasound picture in the bedroom. when tyler looks up his eyes are filled with a sadness josh has never seen in them before. he approaches the bed and sits down beside tyler, looking at the photo.

“even james thinks i don’t deserve you,” tyler says quietly, stilling his movements. when he senses josh’s confusion he continues, “he pushed me away, so i wouldn’t come see you.”

josh knows he shouldn’t be proud of his son for defying his parent, but in this instance he couldn’t be prouder.

“he’s an alpha, you know?” josh replies as tyler gets up to put the photo away.

“i know,” tyler says, sombre. “i hope he’s a better one than i am.”

josh stands and their eyes meet again, so full of pain and regret. there’s nothing that josh hates more than fighting with tyler.

“i’m just tired, tyler,” he confesses. the alpha reaches a hand out to josh’s shoulder, half expecting him to pull away. instead, the omega collapses forward and buries his face in tyler’s neck, one hand clutching at his shirt desperately. “you’re supposed to be different,” he mutters weakly, broken. tyler makes a pained noise, hands wrapping around josh’s waist tightly. as quiet as they’re said, josh’s words punch a hole straight through his chest and grip his heart.

“i’m so sorry,” he chokes, tears falling on josh’s neck where their heads are pressed together. “i’ll be better, you deserve so much better.”

they stay wrapped up, both trying desperately not to lose each other. they’ve been through so much, and as much as josh’s heart hurts at the way tyler’s been treating him he knows how much tyler loves him, how much he needs him. when they pull apart tyler’s usually strong, determined brown eyes are weak, almost fearful.

“brendon’s my first friend,” josh says, and tyler nods understandingly this time.

“i was threatened by you making friends, and took it out on you unfairly. i’m sorry,” tyler repeats. josh shakes his head, pulling away from tyler completely and gripping his hair. tyler freezes, heart stopping when he thinks that josh might not ever forgive him for this. this quickly turns to confusion when josh speaks.

“i _’m_ sorry. i did something so stupid.”

“what is it?” tyler asks, starting to sweat.

“i’m sorry tyler, i didn’t mean to-“ josh begins before tyler grips his hand, pulling it out of his messy locks.

“calm down, love. whatever it is, you can tell me,” he says kindly.

“i kissed someone,” josh breathes out, squeezing his eyes shut at the admission. tyler’s possessive side flares up, but he stomps it down. “i didn’t know she was going to, but i should’ve stopped it, i’m sorry-” he babbles. tyler squeezes his hand.

“josh, i trust you. i know you would never do something like that on purpose. come here,” tyler pulls him forward again. instead of a hug, tyler grasps his chin gently with his free hand and leans forward to kiss him. it’s hesitant, both of them unsure of how much to push it this soon. but as tyler adds more pressure josh melts, curling his hand around tyler’s neck and kissing him back slowly. it feels so right to be kissing his mate again, and the guilt from the night before washes away, replaced with adoration for his lover.

“i love you,” tyler breathes as they part, and josh’s heart flutters.

“i missed you,” he replies, “and i love you too.”

“we’ll be okay?” tyler asks, still unsure. josh smiles at him, wrinkles forming in the corner of his eyes.

“we’ll be okay.”

—

they spend the majority of the day inseparable, having missed each other’s comfort for way too long. jenna takes the twins to the park as promised, and then to her parent’s house for the day to give josh and tyler some space. that’s why they’re startled when there’s a knock on the door mid afternoon. they open it together, and find a worried looking brendon outside.

“brendon?” josh asks. he glances at tyler peripherally, but is glad to see nothing but a confused stare on his face.

“hey, josh. tyler,” he gulps, addressing the alpha.

“you want to come in?” tyler offers, standing back from the doorway. brendon’s eyebrows raise, but he enters the apartment. josh leads them to the kitchen where they sit down and tyler busies himself making them coffee.

“so what brings you to my home today?” josh asks, smiling. brendon is relieved to see him in a much better state than last night.

“i just wanted to check up on you, dude. i know last night didn’t turn out so fun,” he replies, glancing warily at tyler.

“i told him,” josh says quietly.

“ah,” brendon responds, “i also wanted to apologise for leaving you alone. i should’ve at least told debby you were mated.”

tyler turns and places a hot coffee in front of each of them. he takes in brendon’s appearance, and his earnest features as he looks at josh. he shouldn’t have been so quick to judge the guy, he thinks exasperatedly.

“it’s cool, man,” josh waves off his apology.

“is this your wife?” brendon changes the topic, pointing at a picture frame on the bench. it’s a photo of jenna, a twin on each hip while they all laugh. josh had taken it, and tyler framed it as soon as he showed him.

“yeah that’s jenna,” tyler replies, both him and josh smiling at the memory.

“you guys are so lucky,” brendon says wistfully, resting his chin on one hand.

“do you have a family?” tyler asks him. josh is interested too, never having heard the story behind brendon’s mysterious mating mark.

“no, not yet. i was mated once when i was quite young,” his eyes are distant, troubled. “i thought he was the love of my life, but it turned abusive quickly. it took me a couple years to get out of the relationship, and by then i didn’t know who i was. i turned to drugs to get through it, so then i had to fix that problem too. but it’s lead me to where i am now, and to my bestest buddy of all,” brendon smiles, ruffling josh’s curls.

“i had no idea you went through all that,” josh says softly, heart hurting for a young, lost brendon.

“it’s all in the past, but that’s why you guys are so lucky. you’re soulmates.” josh and tyler meet each other’s gaze and smile softly. “enough of the sappy shit, guys please,” brendon pleads and they laugh.

“do you want to stay for dinner?” tyler asks, and brendon is all too happy to oblige. josh feels peaceful, with his two worlds colliding and finally getting along.

—

as nice as the gesture is, tyler is hopeless at cooking and quickly calls jenna to ask her to come home and help him while josh and brendon watch tv. she’s relieved to hear that her boys are on speaking terms, and puts aside any residual anger she holds towards tyler when she realises he’s trying his best to get to know josh’s friend. when she returns home with the twins, james is quick to suss out the new scent in the apartment. he marches right up to brendon.

“who are you?” he asks curiously. ruby scampers towards josh nervously and hides behind his leg.

“i’m brendon little dude, who are you?” brendon humours the child. james giggles.

“my name is james!” he exclaims. “this is my papa,” he adds, crawling up josh’s legs to sit on his lap. josh reaches down to lift ruby up next to her brother. she peers at brendon interestedly.

“brendon is papa’s friend,” he tells them. “he gave you your keyboard when you turned three.” ruby’s eyes widen at this information, the keyboard is her _favourite_  toy ever. james engages brendon in thrilling conversation about the ducks he fed at the park, and even ruby talks about the cake grandma made them. brendon listens raptly and easily catches james when he decides to sit on his lap instead. josh watches his best friend in wonder, once again thinking about how lucky he is to have met him.

“dinner’s ready!” jenna calls from the kitchen. james sprints towards his mama’s voice, always eager for food. josh carries ruby close to him, the memory of her wiping his tears away still fresh in his mind. when he was young he never really thought he’d love anyone more than tyler, but then there was jenna, and their kids- and now brendon. he started his life out with nobody who cared for him, and now he has more than enough love surrounding him.

“you okay kitten?” jenna asks. josh snaps out of his trance, placing ruby down in her seat.

“kitten?” brendon repeats gleefully. josh groans.

“please do _not_ call me that in front of anyone,” he tells his friend seriously. “and i’m great,” he smiles at jenna, trying to let her know that he’s okay. she smiles back, and josh is reassured that everything is returning to normal once again.

—

at james’ insistence, brendon helps jenna put the twins to bed after dinner. josh and tyler can hear him singing them a lullaby from where they’re seated on the couch. they’re huddled close once again, a blanket loosely wrapped around their shoulders while a movie plays on the tv in front of them. tyler finds it hard to focus on the screen, more interested in watching the soft glow reflect on josh’s features.

“what?” josh asks after a while, bashfully making eye-contact with tyler before glancing away once more.

“i can’t believe how good you are to me,” tyler says softly. this makes josh return his attention to his mate, who still appears uncertain. “brendon is so lovely. i’d want to punch me for being so jealous of him.”

josh scoffs, “don’t tempt me,” but pauses when he feels tyler tense beside him. “i’m just kidding ty,” he reassures the alpha. he doesn’t look convinced.

“why aren’t you angry?” tyler asks instead. josh has to think for a moment.

“because there’s no point. being angry at you won’t help either of us, and i don’t want james and ruby to think it’s a good way of dealing with their problems,” he says honestly. tyler soaks this in, shamefully realising that he could learn a lot from his mate. “besides, jenna is still mad at you for me,” he adds jokingly, and tyler grins ruefully.

josh places an arm around tyler’s shoulders under the blanket, and the alpha’s dark eyes sparkle as they stare at josh’s own.

“thanks for finally giving him a chance,” josh says.

tyler sighs frustratedly. “i should have done it sooner-“

josh interrupts him by pressing a finger to his lips. he leans in closer, flashes a glance down at where his finger lies.

“it’s okay,” he whispers, before closing the gap between them. he’s felt a pull between them for hours, barely satisfied by gentle kisses shared throughout the day. this one feels more intense, a slight hint of desperation in the way josh grips the soft hairs at the back of tyler’s head. they almost forget about the others, lost in their small cocoon, tongues mingling together in open mouths as more time passes. the kisses aren’t messy or rushed, but they both sense that it will soon delve into something more. luckily (or unluckily), they’re separated by a small cough coming from the doorway. jenna is staring at them pointedly, a slightly wide-eyed brendon by her side.

“i was just leaving,” he says awkwardly. josh feels bad for exposing his friend to their make-out session and hops up, the blanket sliding off his shoulders. he shows brendon out, thanking him for coming over to check on him and being so good with the twins. he’s keen to get back to what he was doing, but when he returns to the lounge he finds jenna stood with her hands on her hips and a timid looking tyler listening to her rant.

“-and if you _ever_  try anything like this again i will not hesitate to kick you out myself,” she is saying, blue eyes glaring daggers at her mate. josh sends tyler a look that says ‘sorry, but you knew it was coming,’ from over her shoulder before he intervenes.

“thanks jen,” he tells her, wrapping his arms around her thin waist. she hugs him back tightly. most people would assume tyler to be the most protective member of their family, but he knows jenna would stop at nothing to keep the people she loves safe. “can we all move on from this now?” he asks her, and she exhales deeply before nodding. he swoops in to kiss her, her refreshing scent filling his nostrils. she meets him eagerly and scratches her nails along his scalp to make him shiver. she squeaks when he reaches beneath her thighs, lifting her into his arms.

“bedroom?” he breathes, and she nods hurriedly. they’re almost out of the room before josh turns back to face tyler, jenna sucking at his neck. he hasn’t moved from the couch, blanket still hanging limply from his shoulder as he stares at them in awe.

“you coming?” jenna asks coyly as she pulls away from josh’s neck, running a hand down his chest. tyler hops up quickly to follow them and briefly registers that he isn’t feeling any jealousy toward his two lovers. he’s excited to be with them again, hopeful that he can show them how much he appreciates them for putting up with him when he acts like an idiot. once in the bedroom, josh lays jenna down on the bed. he makes quick work of her clothes, tugging her loose tank top over her head and moving onto her shorts. tyler hangs back, leaving the pair to themselves. despite having kissed the omega less than ten minutes ago, he’s not sure if they want him very involved.

“tyler!” he hears jenna shout, snapping him out of his thoughts. josh continues kissing down her torso as she rolls her eyes at him. “are you going to join us or what?”

josh detaches from the soft skin of jenna’s stomach and faces tyler, reaching an arm out that the alpha approaches. he joins josh on the bed, kneeling next to his wife as his mouth meets the omega’s again. they kiss more hurriedly now, and josh moans softly as he opens up under tyler’s actions. the alpha grips his waist, sliding his t-shirt up and exposing his tight muscles. the image of josh’s body covered in water, legs wrapped around tyler’s waist, flashes in his mind- the last time they had sex. he pulls away from the older boy with the intent to slow things down a bit. josh isn’t just an object to use like he did that night, and tyler’s determined to prove it to him.

“help me take care of our girl?” he asks the omega. jenna, spread out beneath them, watches with hooded eyes as they descend on her. josh resumes sucking small love bites into her hips while tyler works on unhooking her bra. once it’s free he teases her, licking around the dark of her areola before finally taking her nipple in his mouth. jenna moans, gripping tyler’s hair with one hand and the sheets with the other. josh moves his head lower and mouths over her panties. a wet patch forms as she pants.

“j, please,” she groans, pulling tyler’s hair as he moves onto her other breast. josh takes mercy, tugging her underwear off and resuming his position. he licks over her slick entrance before placing a tender kiss on her clit. jenna jolts, pulling tyler off as she cries out. he turns his attention to josh, watches hungrily as he sucks on jenna’s clit, hands gripping her thighs tightly. he moves down next to his mate, and they switch positions. he pushes his tongue inside her as deep as he can, fuelled by her breathy moans above them. josh and tyler continue taking turns to eat her out until she’s squirming.

“fingers,” she pleads, and they comply. tyler pulls back and replaces his tongue with two fingers, sliding them inside and curling them with ease. he thrusts them in and out at a fast pace and jenna squeals, clenching her legs over his hand. josh pries her thighs back open and leans down to latch back onto her clit. jenna’s cries hit a crescendo as she squirts over tyler’s hand and josh’s mouth, using a hand to rub herself through her climax as the boys retreat.

“god,” she pants, legs trembling with aftershocks as she comes down. “we should do this more often.”

josh and tyler don’t hear her, already having gravitated back towards each other. tyler guides josh to lay down, kisses him deeply as he settles between his legs. they remain just kissing for a while, and jenna gets the feeling that it’s more than just sex happening for them right now. they’ve been apart for months, starved of each other’s touch, and she can only imagine how it feels for them to be reunited as alpha and omega. she stumbles out of the bed.

“where are you going?” josh questions as she pulls her shorts back on.

“you two need this more than i do. i’m having a bath,” she says, leaving the room.

“we love you!” tyler calls after her. he resumes kissing josh slowly, caressing a hand down his chest. they seperate briefly to remove their clothes. tyler wraps a hand around josh’s newly freed length and strokes him steadily.

“tyler,” josh drawls, reattaching their lips while tyler’s thumb swipes over his tip. he hooks an arm behind tyler’s neck, holding him as close as possible. he’s beyond turned on, the smallest movements from tyler setting his nerves on fire. he pulls back to whisper, “i won’t last long.”

tyler removes his hand from josh’s cock, instead moving it towards his entrance. he feels the slick already gathered there and uses it to push a finger in slowly. josh tilts his head back, long eyelashes casting a shadow on his flushed cheeks. tyler pecks one as he adds another finger to the first.

“you’re gorgeous,” he murmurs. “i still can’t believe you’re mine.” to josh’s astonishment, he spots tyler’s eyes glazed over with tears.

“why are you crying?” josh asks him quietly, brushing a hand over the alpha’s damp cheek. he moans when tyler’s fingers curl over his prostate.

“because i’m so lucky to have you and jenna. you always forgive me when i don’t deserve it. i don’t deserve you,” he says, a tear slipping onto josh’s chest.

“oh tyler,” josh sighs softly. it’s not often that the alpha is so vulnerable, even in front of his mates. he leans up, pressing their lips together once again. he licks into tyler’s mouth, trying to convey how much he loves him, and has missed him.

“i’m ready,” he breathes into the space between them. tyler removes his fingers from josh’s entrance and replaces them with his cock. his dark eyes lock onto josh’s warm mocha ones as he pushes inside. they both moan at the feeling. josh spreads his legs out further, trying to bring tyler closer. the alpha continues pushing inside until he bottoms out. he stays still to let josh adjust, wary of how rushed he was last time they did this. josh twirls the hairs at the nape of tyler’s neck around his fingers.

“i love you tyler,” he says tenderly. the alpha begins to move, pulling almost all the way out before thrusting back in at a steady pace. josh’s hand tightens in his hair as he groans. the feeling of tyler filling him never gets old, or the way they meld together so perfectly.

“i love you too,” tyler pants. he reattaches their lips as his hips slap against josh’s own. “so much,” he adds between kisses. josh can feel his orgasm approaching quickly, tyler hitting his prostate on every thrust. he curls his legs around tyler’s waist, clenches around his cock.

“ohhh,” tyler moans into his mouth. he reaches a hand down and wraps it around josh’s length. he begins stroking in time with his thrusts. tears prick at josh’s eyes, a few spilling over as he comes with a loud moan. tyler kisses at his face as he thrusts once, twice more before stuttering and releasing inside the omega. he stays inside him for a few minutes, until their breathing calms down. he feels content like this, with his boy in his arms. eventually he pulls out and cuddles josh properly. for a moment he thinks the omega has already drifted off, but then he hears his soft voice.

“you _do_  deserve us tyler. you just have to promise to talk to us from now on,” josh says, twisting to stare at his partner. as tyler stares back at his strong, loyal and loving omega, he vows to never let his mates down again.

—

“so you know how we agreed i’d start talking about what’s bothering me?” tyler states randomly a few weeks later. “we need to move out.”

jenna and josh stop building the sandcastle in front of them. james and ruby continue happily, plastic spades in their hands. they look adorable with their little matching swimsuits on.

“move out?” josh repeats, pushing his sunglasses up his nose.

“our apartment has been a great home for the past few years, but it’s becoming seriously cramped. i found a bunch of ruby’s toys in the laundry cupboard this morning,” tyler says seriously. jenna’s eyes light up.

“you have _no_ idea how long i’ve been waiting for you to bring this up,” she says excitedly.

“wait, you want to move?” tyler asks.

“just wait until you see my kitchen plans,” she says eagerly, already pulling out her phone. josh and tyler make slightly terrified eye-contact, but now that the conversation has been brought up the house hunt has begun.

—

by the time josh has to return to college for his second year, a house has been successfully hunted and a move-in date is set. the house is _much_  bigger than their apartment, with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a big backyard and an even bigger kitchen for jenna to enjoy. it’s a half-hour closer to brendon too, which might have been the final factor to convince tyler that this house was the _one._  he’s come to really enjoy spending time with the guy, and he’s also quickly become james’ new favourite person to babble about excitedly.

“the last one,” josh sighs, setting a large box down in their foyer. they didn’t have heaps to take from the apartment, but about half of their boxes are filled with a certain two toddler’s toys. said toddlers spent the weekend with their grandparents while their parents moved everything.

“we did it,” tyler beams, kissing his omega chastely. it feels surreal, standing in the foyer to their _house_. they make their way to jenna, unsurprised to find her in the kitchen tearing open the utensils box. she looks at them sheepishly when they enter.

“it only seems right to christen the new house by baking some cookies,” she attempts as an excuse. josh laughs, jumping up to sit on the island. however, tyler seems to have an agenda as he approaches his wife and leans in to kiss her.

“i’ve got a different idea of how we can christen it,” he says lowly, and josh can feel his own interest piquing. it’s not often they have a day without the kids, and he’s not one to turn down an opportunity. and apparently, neither is jenna.

—

a month after they’ve moved into the new house they’ve managed to fill it with furniture, having slept on a mattress on the floor only for a week. james and ruby are beyond thrilled with all their new space, but especially the backyard. they spend hours chasing each other around and rolling in the grass, and it doesn’t take long before they start begging for a dog.

“mama, pleeeaaaase,” ruby whines for the tenth time that day. she sends jenna her best puppy dog eyes. jenna tries her best to let her down easy.

“maybe one day sweetheart,” she replies, continuing to make her quiche. she cracks an egg, but the sight suddenly has her clutching her stomach uncomfortably as it turns.

“mama?” ruby asks worriedly. she’s always so intuitive, able to tell when someone’s mood changes. jenna’s stomach continues to churn, and before she knows it she’s retching into the kitchen sink.

“daddy!” ruby yells at the top of her lungs, slightly panicked. tyler rushes into the room seconds later. josh is out at brendon’s with james.

“what’s wrong?” he asks his daughter breathlessly. jenna gags into the sink again, catching tyler’s attention. he walks over and rubs a hand along her back.

“are you okay?” he asks as she straightens up. he gets her a glass of water as she sits at the counter. it’s not the first time she’s been sick this week, but it’s the first time tyler’s found out.

“i think i’ll go to the doctor,” she says tiredly. she knows she’s going, has it booked in for tomorrow morning already.

“you want me to come? or j? i think he has tomorrow off,” tyler asks gently. jenna grasps his hand and squeezes it.

“i’ll be fine. i’m sure it’s nothing,” she replies, hoping what she says is true.

—

“so what brings you here today?” jenna’s doctor asks the next day.

“i’ve been feeling sick every day for about a week now,” she starts. “i can’t eat properly and i’ve been so tired.”

the doctor glances up from her note taking. “when was your last period?”

jenna blinks. now that she thinks about it- it’s been a while. “it must be late by a week or two.”

the doctor smiles at this, and she seems to have realised something that jenna has not.

“i don’t want to assume anything, but you’ve explained all the clear symptoms of pregnancy. we’ll take some tests to confirm it.”

jenna sits, stunned. “that- that’s not possible,” she says.

“are you taking contraception?” the doctor asks.

“well, no,” she replies, “but i was told i could never have children years ago.” the doctor ponders at this information, looking over her medical records.

“from what i can tell, the issue you had years ago was not irreversible. so there is definitely a chance that you could be pregnant now.”

the doctor leads jenna through some tests, which she does mindlessly. all she can think about is the chance that she really could be pregnant, something she was so heartbroken to have taken from her all those years ago. and when the tests come back positive, she almost faints.

—

bringing up the new information with her mates is bound to be interesting. she’s barely over the fact that this is happening when she’s greeted by josh back at home. when tyler’s head pops up above the couch from beside josh’s, she gulps. it’s now or never.

“how did you go?” the omega asks. she wanders over to the couch and slumps down in between them.

“i found out what was wrong,” she answers vaguely. they watch her, concerned.

“and?” tyler prods.

she takes a deep breath, staring ahead at the tv. “i’m pregnant.”

two jaws drop open at the news, and she glances between them nervously.

“are- are you serious?” tyler gapes.

“of course i’m serious! i’m 6 weeks pregnant!” she exclaims.

“oh my god,” josh utters, wide-eyed. “oh my god!” he repeats, grinning. he wraps jenna in a tight hug. she sinks into his arms, relieved. when josh lets her go tyler is quick to replace him, pulling her into his chest.

“this is absolutely the best thing that could’ve happened,” he assures. “i hope it’s mine,” he winks at josh over her shoulder. jenna pulls away from the alpha.

“are you sure we want to do this again?” she asks them, anxious.

“of course,” tyler replies, placing a hand on her belly besides josh’s own. he looks at them both, eyes sparkling with love.

“i’d do this all over one thousand times with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> if you read this i love you more than anything


End file.
